


take me back

by tuberc-leo-fics (lourthor)



Series: Leo in a Strange Land series [1]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Angst, Gen, Leo goes through a lot, but he tries to work through his problems, it's still angsty though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 20:05:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6580429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lourthor/pseuds/tuberc-leo-fics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With shaking fingers and much trepidation, Taekwoon slowly typed Vixx into the search bar, afraid of what he would find on the other side of the enter button. "5 member boy group Vixx set to come out with their second full album in early November, sources say."</p>
<p>Taekwoon wakes up in a world where he never joined Vixx. He doesn’t handle it well.</p>
<p>Now translated into Vietnamese <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/89737690-transfic-leo-centric-cho-t%C3%B4i-tr%E1%BB%9F-l%E1%BA%A1i">HERE</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	take me back

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy this story. I've been working on and off for about a month and a half trying to finish it, but I am satisfied now. Just be aware that it is angsty, and I wouldn't say there is a really happy ending, but it starts to look up and get better. If you are looking for a happy story, you won't find it here.

It was a rare night when all of the members were in the dorm early enough to hang out before falling asleep, exhausted from their schedules. Hakyeon’s drama Sassy Go Go had just finished airing, and Hongbin had just started filming for Moorim School, but they didn’t need him that night. Wonshik hadn’t hid himself away in his studio. It was strange, to all of them, that they could actually talk to one another.

 

“Come on, kids,” Hakyeon said after they started to clean up the remains of their dinner, “Let’s hang out or talk or something. We haven’t been together in a while.”

 

“And why is that my fault?” Sanghyuk said, shrugging as he pulled his hood over his head. Hakyeon glared at him.

 

“You were the one gone all summer filming your movie,” he replied, words cutting and eyes narrowed. Everyone could feel the tension, and though they wanted some time to themselves to relax, or go to bed early for once, Hakyeon’s tone of voice didn’t allow them to say no.

 

Hyuk gave in with an “Okay, hyung,” and finished clearing everything away.

 

Taekwoon just watched everyone interacting from the sink as he washed the pans they used to make dinner. Usually they just had take-out; the life of a busy idol did not lend itself to healthy eating choices when constantly running from one place to another. It was nice, for once, to have a home cooked meal.

 

The arguing voices of his members didn’t dim as they made their way to the living room. They were loud when they were all together, and Taekwoon had a slight headache, both from the noise, and from lack of sleep.

 

“Han Sanghyuk,” Hakyeon scolded loudly from where he was lounging on the couch, “Go help Taekwoon clean the dishes.” Hyuk didn’t protest, but he stomped his feet a little louder than necessary as he walked to the kitchen.

 

“Here, hyung, let me do that,” he offered, holding out his hands for the rubber gloves and the sponge. Taekwoon shook his head.

 

“Just stay in here until I’m done,” he said, “Put some space between Hakyeon and you. Do you really have to be arguing all the time?” It wasn’t that Taekwoon didn’t argue with Hakyeon at all, but they usually agreed at the end of their arguments. The often paired up to side against the younger members, who did not take well to being told what to do all the time.

 

“You know how he is, hyung,” Hyuk replied, “He’s so overbearing and clingy.”

 

Taekwoon side-eyed him before speaking. “He wants to make sure you don’t get lonely. He cares for you,” he scolded. He knew that Hyuk acknowledged this, but the maknae constantly tested them in order to assert dominance, or something. Taekwoon wasn’t quite sure, but the youngest member had grown exceptionally quick.

 

“I know, hyung,” Hyuk said as he played with the drawstrings on his hoodie. “But he does it all the time. I’m an adult.”

 

Taekwoon didn’t say anything to that and just continued to wash the dishes. Once he finished, he handed Hyuk a towel to dry them and put them away, and then headed out to the living room.

 

“Taekwoon,” Hakyeon said, patting the couch next to him, “Come join me.”

 

As Taekwoon walked over, Hongbin started to complain. “Okay, so I can’t join you on the couch, but Taekwoon can? I call favoritism.”

 

“You be quiet,” Hakyeon said, pointing at Hongbin. “Besides, you wanted to sit next to Wonshik.”

 

“I could’ve wanted to sit there,” he pouted as he leaned up against Wonshik’s shoulder. Hongbin looked tired, the bags under his eyes more prominent than usual. Filming his drama took a lot out of him every day, and he was constantly running on only a few hours of sleep. His hands trembled a lot during dinner and he had a hard time controlling his chopsticks. Everyone noticed, but knew not to draw any attention to it.

 

“Do you want to sit here now?” Hakyeon asked, already knowing the answer.

 

Hongbin shook his head, giving a cheeky smile. “No, I don’t want to sit next to you.”

 

Hakyeon kicked at him, not actually hitting anything, but Hongbin received the message.

 

“Come sit down, Woon-ie,” he said, and Taekwoon rolled his eyes at the nickname, but joined Hakyeon on the couch anyway. He didn’t talk to anyone, but watched the younger members interact with each other. Jaehwan was quieter than usual, the stress of the comeback and his musical clear on his face. Wonshik was even more stressed about the album and was constantly working on it, trying to improve it. He slept at his studio much more often than at home. When Hyuk came back from the kitchen, the four younger members wrestled a little bit, but eventually gave up. Taekwoon snuck a glance at Hakyeon and was glad to see the slight smile on his face as he too watched the other members.

 

“Hyung,” Jaehwan said from his place on the floor, “I don’t want to do anything tonight. I’m too tired to watch a movie or anything like that.” Hongbin nodded in agreement from where he lay on the floor, arm thrown over his eyes, which drew attention to the small break out on his forehead.

 

Taekwoon looked around at his members and saw how tired they all looked. Hakyeon was constantly in a state of no sleep, which was often made worse by his insomnia and need to keep moving. Wonshik often looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and his sleep schedule had never been great, due to his insane work ethic.

 

Jaehwan and Hyuk had just finished their long-term schedules and were now stressed by their new comeback. Hongbin was exhausted, and when he was exhausted, he acted completely different. He was no longer smiling all the time, his hand tremors were out in full force, and he was losing a lot of weight.

 

_These kids don’t deserve this,_ Taekwoon thought, looking at all of them. _They should be hanging out with friends, or going to school, not losing years off their life due to constant stress and lack of sleep._

 

_They all deserve better than this._

 

\--

 

He woke up in his room at his parents’ house.

 

_Why am I here?_ Taekwoon asked himself, sure that he went to bed in the dorm the previous night. He and the other Vixx members had talked for a while, relishing the fact that they were all home, before splitting off to wash up and go to bed. Thinking back on it, Taekwoon was positive he went to bed in the dorm.

 

“What’s going on?” he said out loud to himself. He got out of his bed and stood up, stretching his arms above his head before he scratched at his stomach.

 

_Strange,_ he thought as he rubbed his belly, _I must have ate too much last night._

 

He had been exercising hard since before LR started promoting in order to tone his muscles more, even if his abs hadn’t poked through yet, but now, as he stood scratching his stomach, he had a little more pudge than when he went to bed the previous night.

 

Taekwoon started to get worried and he felt a sense of panic rise in his chest. His heart was beating a little faster, and he could hear the beating in his ears. He left his room and went into the bathroom. When he looked in the mirror, he stopped everything and his breath caught.

 

_This is not what I looked like when I went to bed._

 

His hair was cut short and a natural black, which he hadn’t worn in a long time. He used to dye his hair brown in middle school and high school and often got in trouble with his teachers, but it was his small act of rebellion. The hair on his head had not been damaged by bleach and dye, and looked healthy, even if it was shorter than he had worn since Super Hero. Even his face looked a healthier weight.

 

“I don’t know what is going on,” he told his reflection. Thoughts were swirling in his head, but he couldn’t come up with a plausible explanation.

 

_Did I hit my head?_ he thought. That seemed to be the only explanation. He hit his head, lost some memories, and was home to recuperate.

 

He wandered out of the bathroom, still in his pajama pants and a sleeping shirt. He walked past several empty rooms before he heard sounds coming from the kitchen.

 

“Mom,” Taekwoon said, voice a little louder than he would usually speak.

 

She dropped the cup she was washing with a small screech as she turned around to face her son.

 

“Taekwoon,” she said, “I didn’t know you were still here. I thought you were at the office. In fact,” she looked at the time on her phone, “You are almost late. Call your boss and tell him you will be in soon.”

 

“Mom,” Taekwoon said again, speaking slowly and unsure of how to approach his problem. “I’m really confused right now.”

 

“About what?” she responded, looking at her son who was still standing awkwardly in the hallway.

 

“I don’t know how I got here. I don’t remember being in the house yesterday at all. I remember going to sleep at the dorm yesterday.”

 

His mom looked startled for a second before walking over to her son. “What dorm, Taekwoon?”

 

Taekwoon was confused with the question, unsure what his mom was trying to ask. “What do you mean?” he asked her, “My dorm.”

 

“Taekwoon, bend down for a moment,” his mother said. He complied and she brought up her hand to feel his forehead. She held her hand there for several seconds before stepping back.

 

“It doesn’t feel like you have a fever. You must have had a strange dream last night,” she said. She patted his arm. “I know you don’t like to sit behind a desk all day at the office, but you do have to go to work. I don’t want you to get fired.”

 

_What is going on?_ Taekwoon asked himself for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

 

“Mom, what are you saying?” he asked slowly, slumping against the wall of the kitchen.

 

His mom frowned. “Come on, Taekwoon. You aren’t being funny. Get dressed and go to work. You just got this job a year ago. You can’t afford to miss any days.”

 

Taekwoon felt the panicked feeling start to rise in his chest again, and some of it must have shown on his face because his mom’s frown turned into a look of concern. He slumped down the wall more and slowly slid so that he was sitting on the floor. All the strength was taken out of his legs.

 

His mother crouched down in front on him, hand on his shoulder. “Taekwoon. Taekwoon, are you alright?” she asked, tone raising higher towards the end of the sentence. “What’s going on, son?”

 

Taekwoon tried to take several breaths to calm himself, but it wasn’t working. He could feel sweat rolling down the side of his face, and his shirt felt tight around his body. He didn’t understand.

 

“Mom,” he started, voice soft. “I think there’s something wrong. I-” he paused, unsure of how to continue. “I don’t understand. I don’t know what this job is. I don’t know why I’m living here. I don’t remember any of this. I feel strange in my body. I-I don’t know anything, Mom.”

 

He looked up at her and saw her eyes were wide open and panicked, just as he was. He could feel tears prickle in his eyes and he reached up to rub at them. The burning feeling didn’t seem to go away, so he kept rubbing his eyes, his palms digging deep. He felt his mother’s hands reach out and grab his wrists. She forced him to lower his hands.

 

“Okay,” she said, voice low as she seemed to gather strength. “Okay, baby. Let’s get you off the floor.”

 

He stood with her help, but still felt shaky and unsure with himself. He didn’t seem to fit into his body. His mother held his arm as they walked to his room. She sat him on his bed and went over to his wardrobe to pick out some clothes.

 

“Get dressed, Taekwoon, and then let’s go to the hospital,” she said as she brought over the clothes. He nodded at her and she smiled shakily at him before she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

 

_What is going on?_ he asked himself again. He put on the clothes his mom picked out for him. _Even my style is different_ he thought as he looked at what he was wearing. He was wearing a tank top and hoodie with black pants. After a quick look in his wardrobe, he noticed that his clothes were either similar to what he was wearing, or dress shirts and suits.

 

_I must wear those to work_ , he thought to himself. But what work, was the real question.

 

Taekwoon walked over to the door to his room and opened it. He was surprised that his mother wasn’t standing on the other side of the door. He quickly walked through their house and found her sitting on the couch with her purse on her lap, ready to leave. Her eyes were slightly red.

 

“You ready, baby?” she asked when she saw him staring at her. He nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

 

\--

 

The car ride was tense in its silence. Taekwoon stared out the window as his mother drove, her knuckles white with force as she gripped the steering wheel. Seoul looked the same. Everything looked the same. There were still people walking around, still billboards with ads displayed on buildings. It was like Taekwoon was the only thing that had changed.

 

They sat in silence at the hospital while they waited for Taekwoon to be seen by a doctor. Taekwoon’s mind was blank the entire time he sat in the cold, uncomfortable plastic chairs. He would occasionally glance at his mom to see how she was, but she sat still in her chair, legs not even fidgeting as she stared at the floor in front of her.

 

When they finally got to see a doctor, nothing could be done that day. The doctor asked him a lot of questions about what he remembered, and Taekwoon was careful not to mention anything about Vixx or his life before he woke up that morning. He didn’t want to be labeled as crazy. They scheduled a CT scan for the next available date, which wasn’t for 5 days.

 

“Just rest for those days and see if your memory comes back,” the doctor said, “And if it doesn’t, we will perform the brain scan. I’m sorry, but there isn’t anything that we can do right now, especially since he seems completely healthy other than the memory loss.”

 

Taekwoon and his mother thanked the doctor stiffly, and bowed as they exited the room. They made it back to the car without talking. When they were both sitting and buckled in their seats, Taekwoon looked at his mother and saw the trembling hands that she tried to hide in her lap.

 

“Mom,” Taekwoon started, voice soft. “Let me drive. You look like you are going to pass out.”

 

“You don’t have a license, Taekwoon,” she said. “I can’t allow you to do that.”

 

Taekwoon had just received his license last week. He kept that fact quiet.

 

His mom started the car and they drove away from the hospital. It was silent again. Taekwoon felt himself grow restless during the ride. He wasn’t used to sitting in the front seat, and he wasn’t used to this silence unless everyone was sleeping. He wasn’t used to silence at all anymore, unless he was sequestered away in his studio. The Vixx members all talked enough, or the staff, or the constant buzz of people in the waiting room for a program. Even if Taekwoon was silent, nothing around him usually was.

 

“I’m sorry,” he told his mother as she parked the car. She sighed deeply.

 

“You did nothing wrong, son,” she said, running a hand over her face which seemed to age years in a period of half a day. “Let’s get you inside the house, and hopefully we’ll get some answers in 5 days.” She gave a weary smile after her statement, which Taekwoon returned before they exited the car and made their way into the house.

 

\--

 

He laid on his bed for an hour while his mother cleaned, or made dinner. He just stared at the ceiling, felling lost and directionless for the first time in several years.

 

_What happens next?_ he thought to himself. The thought kept circling in his brain, and he couldn’t come up with a solution. Taekwoon still had no idea what had happened to cause this. Because he did exist before this. He wasn’t this world’s Taekwoon. He didn’t have an office job. He didn’t live with his parents. He was an idol. That part of his life wasn’t fake.

 

But the Taekwoon who he was now didn’t fit him. He felt itchy in this stranger’s skin. He wanted his flatter stomach, and his dye-damaged hair. He wanted his clothes.

 

He wanted his members.

 

It took him an hour of confused relaxation before he thought to check online to see if anything was different. News sites were a good source of information. He found an older laptop on his desk, stacked under several books. The surface was scratched, and nothing like the newer model computer he used for composing.

 

_Thank goodness this wasn’t password protected,_ he thought to himself as he was able to log on to the computer easily. A generic desktop background showed up, and Taekwoon found himself gazing at the folders on his computer. One folder was labeled _work files,_ but that wasn’t what caught his attention.

 

_compositions._

With shaking hands, he moved his finger over the trackpad to hover the mouse over the folder. With heavy fingers, he clicked on the folder.

 

Inside were only three files. Taekwoon clicked on one curiously, but was disgusted at himself after listening to the first 20 seconds. The song was…bad. It wasn’t an awful song, but it didn’t make sense. The person who composed the song wasn’t versed in musical composition. They were a beginner. They weren’t the Taekwoon who was getting his Master’s in composition.

 

He eventually made his way online and was browsing the news sites, looking for differences. Everything was the same. Everything that happened that he could remember, happened in the world he was in now. Nothing had changed.

 

_So why did I?_

 

With shaking fingers and much trepidation, Taekwoon slowly typed Vixx into the search bar, afraid of what he would find on the other side of the enter button. He didn’t press enter for almost a full minute as he stared at the word Vixx, dark on his screen. When he finally hit the button, his breath hitched reading the first search result.

 

_5 member boy group Vixx set to come out with their second full album in early November, sources say._

Taekwoon sat in the chair as he stared at that sentence. _5 member_ he repeated in his head. It became a mantra, screaming at him. _5 member_.

 

He went to the realvixx website and stared at the header on the screen.

 

“They’re all there,” he whispered to himself. The rest of the Vixx members’ faces stared back at him, eyes intense. He reached a shaking hand out and slowly dragged it over the faces of his members, as if he could reach them through the screen.

 

_Why am I not there? Why am I not there? The poor kids. Poor Hakyeon. What is going on?_

He felt tears well up in his eyes as he thought of his lifelong friend. Hakyeon had no one to lean on. He was alone in that group with the rest of the members. He started to panic at the thought of not being there for his friend to rely on. No one there to calm the kids when they got too rowdy. Hakyeon would have to take on even more of a leader role.

 

The tears began to roll down his cheeks as he started to cry earnestly, the significance of his situation finally hitting him. He tried to cry as silently as possible, but he began to panic when thoughts he didn’t want to focus on became prominent in his head, and he started to sob, unable to catch his breath. He slumped over in his chair and raised his legs up, his head burrowing itself into his knees. His entire body ached as he kept sobbing. His eyes burned and his throat was becoming raw. His body kept shaking and he felt cold all over. The sobbing didn’t stop.

 

He could hear quiet crying coming from the hallway, but he refused to look over, knowing that he would see his mother, clutching her chest as she leaned against the wall.

 

_What is going on?_

\--

 

The next five days passed by slowly. Taekwoon’s emotions were everywhere, constantly yo-yoing between confused, depressed, and blank. He didn’t smile, and the only time he talked was when one of his family members asked him something directly. His sisters came to visit him when they heard the news and all cried after dinner. They looked exactly like his sisters, and acted exactly like them. When his middle sister came to the house with Minyool wrapped in her arms, Taekwoon grabbed his nephew from her and hugged him tight. He inhaled the baby scent that immediately soothed his mind. He could feel the tension slowly drain from his body, and for once, he felt like everything would be okay. That feeling disappeared when his sister’s family returned to their home.

 

Taekwoon tortured himself by locking himself in his room as he watched Vixx videos. He went through all the episodes of Vixx TV, and cried to himself as he watched them. The members were almost exactly the same. But he could see the weariness in Hakyeon’s eyes in some of the early episodes that didn’t appear for another year or so in his world. He saw Hakyeon banter with the members, and watched them gang up on him in return. But he couldn’t stop staring at Hakyeon’s eyes, which were tired and old too soon. There was too much pressure resting on his shoulders.

 

Jaehwan was sick more often too. In several of the videos, his voice was scratchy and strained. He had been singing too much; Taekwoon wasn’t there to lighten his load. He also looked tired too early, though nothing compared to Hakyeon.

 

The other members acted the same as usual. They weren’t burdened in the way Jaehwan and Hakyeon were. They seemed carefree and happy, something that Taekwoon hadn’t seen in a long time.

 

His parents worried about him as he locked himself in his room. Sometimes, when he was laying in his bed and staring at nothing, he could hear whispers outside his door, murmuring voices too low to be heard clearly. But he knew they were talking about him.

 

His work called him during the second day, and Taekwoon used faltering words to explain what was happening. His boss wasn’t happy with him, but asked him to contact the hospital to have them send the office a note about what was happening. That way Taekwoon wouldn’t be in trouble. But Taekwoon didn’t care either way. He didn’t want to work the office job, but knew that as long as he kept waking up in this strange place, he would need a job. The office job was his only chance.

 

When it was time for the CT scan, Taekwoon had given up on ever waking up in his world again. The drive to the hospital mirrored the first one, as Taekwoon and his mother did not speak to each other. They hadn’t spoken a lot in the past 5 days, no matter what his mother tried. Taekwoon knew it was wrong and that he couldn’t keep doing so forever, but he ignored his mom so he wouldn’t see her red-rimmed eyes or her worried expression. For the past three years, he had tried to shield her from the difficult parts of idol like, and he wasn’t used to her seeing him in such a pitiful state.

 

Just as Taekwoon thought, the CT scan proved nothing. There was nothing physically wrong with him. The doctor had hoped to find intracranial swelling, or some other reason for the selective memory loss, but nothing showed up on the scans.

 

“What should we do?” his mother asked the doctor as she gripped her purse tightly, hugging it to herself in comfort.

 

The doctor shook his head. “There is nothing we can do right now. He will have to come in occasionally for a check-up, but it’s best for him to try and fit back into his life. Maybe go back to work and hang out with friends. That could trigger his memories.”

 

“But I-” Taekwoon started, but cut himself short when both his mother and the doctor looked back at him from where they were talking together. “I don’t know my life. I don’t know what I do at my job. I don’t think I fit into this life.” He turned his face away after he said his statement, ashamed at how pathetic his own voice sounded.

 

The doctor gave a sad smile as he looked at his patient. “I’m sorry, but there is nothing we can do. It you really can’t do your job, it might be best to look for more work. That’s all the advice I can give you.”

 

His mother thanked the doctor then reached for Taekwoon’s hand and started pulling him out of the hospital. “Let’s get some coffee and talk about this,” she said when they were out the doors. Taekwoon nodded when she looked up at him, and they walked to a coffee shop near the hospital.

 

“What do you want to do?” she asked him once they sat down at a table. She was looking at him earnestly, but Taekwoon didn’t have a response. He didn’t know what answer she was expecting, and he didn’t want to give a wrong one. He shrugged at her and slowly sipped his coffee as he looked out the window.

 

“Please, son,” she said. “We need to figure out where we are going from here.” He still didn’t say anything, and she put her coffee cup down gently before reaching for his hand. He reluctantly gave it.

 

“I think you should go back to work,” she said. This is not what Taekwoon wanted to hear, but he kept silent. “I know it isn’t the best job, but you make good money there. You will probably pick up the skills again quickly. That way I won’t worry so much about you.”

 

Taekwoon couldn’t say no to her. Even if he didn’t feel like this Taekwoon, she was still his mother.

 

“Alright,” he said, nodding. His heart clenched when he saw his mother smile for the first time in days. This wasn’t what he wanted to do, but his mother felt very passionate about the idea. He had to do it for her.

 

“Thank you, son,” she said. She let go of his hand and started to drink her coffee again. By that time, Taekwoon had lost his appetite, and the coffee felt heavy as it made its way down to his stomach, like he was drinking cement. He left his cup half full on the table when they exited, and the whole car ride back to their house, he regretted his decision to say yes to her.

 

\--

 

The office job was boring. It seemed like the only thing he was supposed to be doing, for nine hours a day, was to type numbers into a spread sheet. It was something unbearably simple, and Taewoon felt his spirit dim with each number he entered. He wasn’t expecting the job to be interesting, but the monotonous motion of clicking and typing in the small boxes made Taekwoon feel claustrophobic.

 

No one welcomed him back when he entered the office on the first day. Taekwoon was usually fine not talking to someone for hour on end, but for the first three days Taekwoon was back in the office, he didn’t talk to a single person except his boss.

 

_I don’t think I can keep doing this,_ Taekwoon thought to himself. Every hour his posture was slowly crumpling, and by the end of the day he could feel a tenseness in his shoulders, and his waist started hurting.

 

_That’s not good,_ Taekwoon thought. He had injured his waist a long time ago when he was still playing soccer regularly, and it had taken him a long time to not feel pain in his waist. He made sure to exercise diligently when recovering from his injury in order to build abdominal muscles, which in turn helped support his waist. He continued working on his body during his trainee days, and the strength in his body helped his pain go away and allowed him to move normally.

 

_But I don’t have abs anymore. Nothing is helping to support my waist. Other Taekwoon must not have worked out a lot after physical therapy._

Taekwoon made it a week before he woke up with an intense pain in his waist, worse than the twinges he had been feeling since his first day at the job.

 

“Mom,” he yelled as loudly as he could. He had to yell several more times before she rushed into his room, a worried expression on her face.

 

“My waist, mom,” he said, tears in his eyes from the pain. She took a few large steps in order to cross her way to his bedside. Her hands were hesitant before she places them on the side closest to her.

 

“Turn over, Taekwoon.” She pushed at his side until he grunted and turned over, burying his face in his pillow at the pain that motion caused. “I’m going to lift up your shirt and give you a massage, alright?”

 

He nodded against his pillow and felt her soft hands lift up his shirt, then dig into his skin at his waist. He grunted again, but let her massage his back and ease the tension, something she hadn’t had to do since he was last injured.

 

She quietly worked for ten minutes before she pulled his shirt back down and patted his back. “Do you feel a little better?” she asked. He nodded his head before he flipped himself back over, wincing at the pain.

 

“Okay, call into work and tell them what’s going on, and I’ll phone a doctor.”

 

\--

 

He was sentenced to bed rest for a week by the doctor and told not to move his torso as much as possible.

 

“If the pain persists afterwards, we will have to think about physical therapy,” the doctor said.

 

That was his third doctor visit in two weeks, and Taekwoon was over it. He just wanted to be who he was again. He wanted to be Vixx’s Leo and to sing and compose and see his fans and perform. He didn’t want to be in this weakling body that couldn’t make it through a week of sitting at a desk. He didn’t want to be an accountant, or whatever is was that he did in the office. He wanted his life back.

 

“Mom,” he said one day over dinner, “I don’t think I’m happy here.”

 

She put down her chopsticks and brought her hands to her lap before she looked up at him. “What do you mean?” she asked carefully?

 

“I don’t think I’m happy with my life. I don’t like accounting and I’m just not happy doing what I’m doing,” he said.

 

“You went through four years of school and got a degree in it only to realize you don’t like accounting?” she questioned, staring at him.

 

That made Taekwoon pause. “I, what? Really?”

 

Her face grew concerned again. “You don’t remember?” He shook his head and she frowned. “Well, what would you want to do instead? You can’t just quit without a plan.”

 

_Be a part of Vixx,_ he thought to himself, longing to be with his friends again. His heart hurt with the thought.

 

“I don’t know,” he said finally. That conversation stopped when his mother nodded at his statement, and the two of them returned to their food.

 

\--

 

While he was on bed rest, Taekwoon became an official Starlight. It took him nearly four hours to fill out the entire registration form because he kept pausing to take a break, overwhelmed by his emotions. Somehow, it didn’t hit until he was signing up to become an official member of the Vixx fanclub that at this point in his life, he meant nothing to Vixx. He wasn’t a member, and not a single one of them knew his name. Something that he had poured his heart and voice into for years, didn’t care about him. His Starlight membership card wasn’t going to have the number 2 on it. He would be just another of the countless fans who were requesting to be part of the fan club.

 

Somehow, it was the right thing to do. It made sense for Taekwoon to become a Vixx fan in these circumstances. If he couldn’t support them by being there, he would try and support them in any way possible.

 

One night, in between wallowing and eating, Taekwoon received a call on his phone. No one had called him on his phone since he woke up in this body, so it took several seconds to register that the ringtone was coming from his phone. He looked at the name but didn’t recognize it.

 

“Hello?” he asked hesitantly, unsure who the other person on the line was.

 

“Taekwoon! I haven’t talked to you in so long. How are you?”

 

Taekwoon pulled the phone away from his ear at the loud voice and glanced at the screen incredulously.

_Am I actually friends with him?_ Taekwoon asked himself while he tried to figure out how he was going to explain his situation to the man on the phone.

 

“Um, yes. Sorry, this is Taekwoon. I’m,” he paused, before continuing, unsure of himself, “…fine.”

 

“That’s good,” the man said loudly. Taekwoon was starting to get annoyed by his tone of voice, and pulled the phone away from his ear a little bit, to dampen the effect the man’s voice had on him. “So, are you up for singing at the bar tomorrow night? There was a last minute cancellation and we need someone.”

 

Taekwoon blinked several times in surprise, unconsciously copying Hyuk.

 

_What does that mean?_ he asked himself. _I had no idea I had a side job like that. My mom didn’t mention anything._

 

“Um, sure,” Taekwoon answered slowly, a little wary. He was singing in bars? He used to sing in a restaurant when he was younger, but that was a long time ago.

 

“Great,” the man said, “So, we’ll start setting up at around 7pm. You won’t start until 8, though. Will you be out of the office by then?”

 

“Yeah…” Taekwoon said. He paused for several seconds, unsure how to continue. He needed to tell this man that he had no idea who he was, or where the bar was, or what kind of music he would be singing. “Um, I’m not sure how to say this, but…” he trailed off.

 

“You’re scaring me, man,” the person on the other line said, “what’s going on? Can you sing tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah, I can,” Taekwoon decided, “I just… I lost my memory a couple weeks ago and,” there was an intake of breath, “I honestly have no idea who you are, or what the bar is.” There was silence on the other side. “Sorry,” Taekwoon said after a couple seconds.

 

“Shit, Taekwoon, are you okay?”

 

Taekwoon nodded before he realized that the other man couldn’t see him. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just can’t remember everything. I know my parents, but I don’t even remember my job, or getting a degree in accounting, or whatever I went to school for. It’s been….rough.” That was an understatement.

 

“I’m so sorry. If you’re not feeling up to it, I can find someone-”

 

“-No!” Taekwoon interrupted. “I want to sing. I just might need some more information.” The silence was back. “Please.”

 

Another intake of breath. “Okay. Well, we can meet a little bit earlier and try and come up with a set list or something for you. Does five work?”

 

“Yeah, that’s great. Just text me where you want to meet.”

 

“Yeah, okay. My name’s Lee Joonyoung, by the way. We’ve been friends for a couple of years,” Joonyoung replied. Taekwoon didn’t know how to feel with that information. It was strange to think that the other Taekwoon had a life and friends that he himself had never experienced. And somehow, all these people were now his. He wasn’t sure if he enjoyed that or not.

 

“Thanks, Joonyoung,” Taekwoon said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Okay. Stay safe, Taekwoon. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Joonyoung said as he hung up the phone.

 

Taekwoon felt drained after the phone call and flopped down on his bed face first as he hugged a pillow. He had assumed, incorrectly, that he didn’t sing after he gave up soccer, and that was why this life was so different. But apparently he kept singing, and was good enough to sing at a bar regularly. He wasn’t sure if he liked that or not. If he was still singing, why wasn’t he in Vixx?

 

Taekwoon stood up and started pacing. He realized that he hadn’t sung at all since coming to this world. It was a punch in the gut once he realized that. His entire career was devoted to singing, and he sang for hours every day, even without a schedule. But somehow, coming to this world knocked that need to sing out of him. Or maybe he was just too preoccupied with his other thoughts. Either way, it hurt him to think that singing wasn’t that important anymore. That music wasn’t important anymore.

 

_I miss my music,_ he thought to himself as he walked around his room. _I miss singing and composing._ _I hate this Taekwoon for taking it from me._

 

\--

 

Taekwoon met Joonyoung at a coffee shop near the bar he would be singing at later. Taekwoon could tell Joonyoung was going to be an interesting friend just by what he was wearing when he entered the shop. His mis-matched clothing and gaudy snapback made Taekwoon roll his eyes, and somehow he knew that the man who entered was Joonyoung, his suspicions confirmed when the man grinned and waved at him.

 

“Hi Taekwoon,” he said as he walked over. “I’m Joonyoung. It’s nice to meet you. Again.”

 

Taekwoon gave him a small smile and waved slightly in greeting. Joonyoung grinned back at him.

 

The two of them worked for several hours, getting to know each other and creating a set list. Apparently the bar was a casual-style piano bar where people out of college liked to visit for a relaxing atmosphere. Taekwoon was supposed to sing ballads or r&b songs, which was good because Taekwoon knew how to play a lot of those kinds of songs on the piano.

 

“Basically you just play for a couple of hours, and you get to keep the tips people give you. It’s pretty simple,” Joonyoung said. “A couple people might request something, but if you don’t know the song, just tell them. You don’t need to do anything but sing, really.”

 

As soon as Taekwoon sat down at the piano in the bar, he felt like he had finally come home after a long journey. He could feel five person-shaped holes still, but somehow, the future seemed lighter. He had a small smile on his face the entire time he was playing the piano and singing. As he stood up to take a small break and grab some water from the bar, a gaggle of young women in their thirties approached him. He raised an eyebrow at them.

 

“Yes?” he asked when he noticed that one of the women kept opening her mouth then closing it while her friends elbowed her. She gave him a sheepish grin.

 

“My friends and I think you are really cool. Are you thinking about being a professional singer?”

 

Taekwoon scratched at his neck, unsure where this conversation was headed. “Um, no,” he said, “I’m an accountant.” That was kind of the truth.

 

The girls all looked at each other. “Well you really should be a singer,” another girl said. “I would pay money to see you perform.” All the girls nodded.

 

“I… thank you,” Taekwoon said. He felt uncomfortable with the compliments, and unsure what to do with them.

 

“Do you know any Park Hyoshin?” one of the girls asked. Taekwoon felt a pang in his heart at the thought of Hyoshin-hyung, but then nodded slowly.

 

“Yeah,” he said, “I can do Wild Flower. Is that okay?” He ran through the chords in his head.

 

The girls tittered in excitement as they elbowed each other before heading back to their table. Taekwoon took a deep breath, finished his water, then sat back down at the piano bench.

 

His hands shook slightly as he played the opening chords to Wild Flower, but he slowly grew more confident, especially when he started singing and let himself stop thinking and let go completely. When he reached the high note of the song, and his voice hit it without wavering, he felt a high travel through him. When the song ended, he got loud applause from the girls who requested the song, as well as the rest of the room.

 

On his way home that night, with his tips in his pocket and a lightness in his body for the first time since he woke up in his room at home, he felt happy.

 

_I want music again._

_I want to sing._

\--

 

Taekwoon quit his job the next morning. He could tell his mom knew it was coming, but she was shocked when he said he was going to apply for a Master’s program in Music Composition. He went to the store to buy books on music theory in order to study. All composition programs required potential students to pass a test on music theory. Taekwoon was pretty confident, especially because he was studying for his Master’s back in his world, but he wanted to do the best he could on the test: a background in accounting doesn’t endear you to potential programs.

 

He stated composing too. He needed to submit two original compositions with his application, and the old Taekwoon did not have anything worthy of being used. So Taekwoon had to start from scratch. Without the stress from his job, he was able to think more clearly, and songs just came to him.

 

A couple days later, Vixx announced a comeback with a photo teaser of Hongbin. As soon as he saw the picture, Taekwoon breathed in sharply.

 

“They’re doing Chained Up,” he murmured to himself as he gazed at the screen. He knew the concept, and he knew the dance. He knew exactly what to expect. He didn’t know why he was so surprised. Every song was the same before now, except Beautiful Liar, and he knew all those songs too. But for some reason, with Taekwoon now in the current world, he assumed that their songs would change. Apparently they didn’t.

 

He read the comments on the news article and smirked to himself. Starlights were already going crazy, but they had no idea to what extent the concept would go. They were all in for a surprise.

 

\--

 

The weeks went by quickly for Taekwoon. He composed all day, and studied, and trolled the internet looking for Vixx gossip. More teasers came out, and Taekwoon was just as surprised as the fans when the music video teaser was released. He left before they could film the mv in his world, and he loved seeing the imagery. But he felt a pang in his heart that he wouldn’t be able to film another mv with them, wouldn’t be able to sing with them.

 

\--

 

Taekwoon found himself standing in line with other Starlights, waiting to see Vixx perform on Music Bank. He was dressed head to toe in his usual black, and had his newly acquired slogan towel, light stick, and membership card in his backpack. Everyone was staring at him. One, because they had never seen him before, as he was a new fan, and two, because he was a 183cm tall man waiting with a group consisting solely of girls. He hated that the stares were blank and curious, and not that of a fan who recognized him.

 

He did recognize many of the faces in the line, though. He could see Jaehwan’s and Hakyeon’s fansite managers, as well as some fans that came to the fansigns whenever they could. They were chatting lightly in the slightly cold temperature, waiting to be allowed in. Two braver girls who were standing by him decided to take pity on him and include him in their conversation.

 

“What’s your name?” one of the girls asked. “I’ve never seen you before. Vixx doesn’t have many male fans.”

 

“Is that so?” Taekwoon asked them softly. They shared a look when they heard him speak, and he heard the rustling of clothing and slight drop in conversation as other fans started to listen in. “I’ve been a fan for a while, but I worked long hours and could never come see them personally.”

 

It felt awful to lie to his fans, but it was impossible to tell them the truth. It hurt that he had to lie about his knowledge of the other members, that he had been a part of all the performances the fans had seen, and more. That he wasn’t just a fan.

 

“Who’s your favorite member?” another brave girl asked from near him.

 

He retaliated by saying “Who’s your favorite?”

 

“I like Han Sanghyk-oppa.”

 

Taekwoon chuckled in his head and gave her a small smile. “Good choice,” he told her. There was silence, and the Starlight grew impatient.

 

“You never told me your favorite member!” she said.

 

Taekwoon ran his fingers through his hair, causing his hair to flop into a messy style, and shrugged at her. “Who knows,” he said. He couldn’t betray them like that. And all of them annoyed him at times, so there wasn’t even a less annoying option.

 

“Come on, everyone has a favorite member,” a different girl interrupted. There were about 20 Starlights staring at him and listening to his conversation at this point, and all of their eyes looked like they wanted information from him.

 

“Well,” Taekwoon said, “If I have to choose one, I’ll choose Hakyeon. He and I are the same age.” If he ever got back to his own world, he promised himself to never tell Hakyeon what he had just said.

 

“Really?” several fans asked, peering at his face. Taekwoon felt himself going slightly pink in embarrassment and wished that he had a mask to hide behind. He just nodded instead.

 

“Yeah, I’m 26 this year. My name is Jung Taekwoon by the way. You should all introduce yourself.”

 

So Taekwoon spent his time waiting to be let into the building learning Starlights’ names and chatting with them. Several of the girls were around his age, and it was nice talking to people who weren’t his family members for once. Several of them worked in offices, and were surprised to hear that Taekwoon quit his stable job to go back to school. They chatted about the difficulties of office life, and gave advice to some of the younger fans as well.

 

They filed in orderly and quickly, their membership items being checked at the door. Taekwoon emptied his backpack, and put the towel on his head, copying the many fans he had seen wear them similarly at performances. He felt a little silly walking with the girls, as he was easily the tallest one, and he almost stepped on the back of several fans’ shoes as they walked to their seats.

 

When the five members of Vixx came onto the stage and started greeting fans, Taekwoon felt like he couldn’t breathe. He stared at his members, watched their smiles grow larger as they waved to their fans and got into position, before they calmed down and put their serious faces on, and went to their beginning position. But Taekwoon didn’t calm down. When the music started, he could hear himself say the fanchants with everyone else, but he wouldn’t be able to tell you a single thing about the stage. Everything seemed to blur together with the familiar strains of Chained Up.

 

When Hongbin sang the last lyrics and turned on his heel to face the back of the stage, hand by his collar, Taekwoon finally snapped out of the fugue state he had entered. The other fans were cheering loudly and happily while Vixx said goodbye, waving at their fans as they left the stage. All the fans were told to exit, and they did, slowly filing out of the theater.

 

While everyone filed outside, intent to wait for Vixx and see them when they left the station, Taekwoon rushed to the bathroom, hoping that it would be empty. It was. He quickly entered a stall and locked the door behind him before he turned and banged his head against the wall.

 

_Stupid. Stupid. You are so stupid, Taekwoon,_ he told himself as tears started to well in his eyes. Somehow, he had been counting on the fact that seeing them perform would make everything better. If he could see them having fun and singing together, he could get over his situation and care for them as the hyung he had always been.

 

That wasn’t what happened, though. Instead of feeling lighter, he felt weighed down with the knowledge that he couldn’t be with them and that they could exist happily without him. Taekwoon couldn’t stop the tears when they started to flow down his cheeks, and he started to sob, the action taking complete control over his body. He shook as he cried, his voice growing hoarse in just a few minutes. He wished that he could feel happy, but all he felt was grief. For so long, he lived for the fans, for the members, for his family, but two of those things had been ripped from him, and he didn’t know how to live like this anymore.

 

“I want to go home,” he choked out in the empty bathroom. He gripped the top of the stall door and brought his forehead to the wood as he screwed his eyes shut, sobs slowing down. “I want to go home. Please send me home.”

 

He waited for a minute, too afraid to open his eyes and see where he was. When he finally got the courage to open them, he felt resigned at the sight of the same bathroom door. He stopped crying and wiped at his eyes with the sleeves of his sweater before he opened the door.

 

The mirrors above the sinks didn’t lie. His hair was still short, but a little bit longer than it was when he first entered this world. His stomach was still undefined and carried more weight than before. He sighed.

 

“Okay,” he told his mirror self. “You’re okay. Everything will be okay.”

 

_Maybe,_ his mind betrayed him. But he had to be okay, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to survive this. He needed to find another purpose.

 

Taekwoon rinsed his face with cold water and stood up straight, spine twinging as he tried to correct all the damage he has subjected it to over the years. He took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom, head held high even if his eyes were still red. He walked out of the building, avoided all the Starlights still hanging around, and went home.

 

\--

 

 

The next day, after a completely horrible night with little sleep, Taekwoon got good news, as well as news he wasn’t sure if he liked or not, but would put aside his feelings for now. The first was that he got accepted to grad school and was now enrolled in a music composition program. The second bit of news he got was that he was picked to attend one of Vixx’s fansigns for the new album. After the previous day and his subsequent break down, he wasn’t so sure if he wanted to attend.

 

In the end, it wasn’t a choice. No matter how much he would like to distance himself, he cared too much about the members to give up the opportunity to see them in person.

 

On the day of the fansign, Taekwoon woke up early and tried to find nicer clothing than what he had been wearing around the house. He put on a pair of ripped, light-washed jeans and a sweater. As he looked in the mirror, he noticed that he was starting to look more and more like his old self.

 

“I’m close to having my hair and stomach back,” he told himself as he looked at himself critically. He had been working out recently, trying to get into a pattern he was familiar with. He hoped that if he could get his body back in shape, he wouldn’t feel so out of place in it. After checking his outfit, Taekwoon reached for the hair gel and lightly styled his hair.

 

He took a deep breath.

 

“I can do this,” he murmured, eyes slightly red from when he cried last night in anticipation for today.

 

With only 100 Starlights allowed into the fansign, there wasn’t a large crowd in front of the building, but Taekwoon was surprised to recognize a couple of faces from the music show broadcast he was at the previous week. A couple girls smiled when they saw him and beckoned him over to stand with them.

 

“How are you?” they asked as he approached.

 

“I’m good,” he replied, giving them a small smile, trying to look happy. “Excited. This is my first fansign.”

 

One of the girls nodded. “I’ve been to four or five of them myself. Sometimes I’m not lucky with the drawing, though.” Taekwoon gave a slight nod. “What was your name again?”

 

And so they talked for about half an hour as they waited for the doors to be opened to seat them. Taekwoon was number 87 out of 100, so his seat was near the back of the small auditorium. The two girls he was talking to earlier were near the front, having gotten there several hours before he did. They waved to him as they found their seats.

 

Hyuk was the first to walk in and Taekwoon felt his heart pull as he watched the maknae pretend to walk like Miss Universe. Hongbin followed in after and was covering his eyes, trying not to watch Hyuk. Hakyeon followed after and Taekwoon yearned to go up to their table and give him a hug. He looked tired, but was smiling. Jaehwan was pushing his hands into Hakyeon’s back as he walked, and Wonshik took up the rear, laughing at Jaehwan’s antics. They looked whole.

 

“Hello everyone, we are, Real V V-I-X-X Vixx! Nice to meet you,” they all said in chorus. Taekwoon found that he had made a V with his fingers and was mouthing along, as he usually did. His heart leapt at that, but he noticed other Starlights doing the same thing. Suddenly, he felt like he was part of the crowd; he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

 

The fansign continued, and the Vixx members joked around and answered questions, and the two people he was sitting next to had their numbers pulled to have a selfie of the member of their choice. Taekwoon noticed the members glancing at him occasionally, and he could understand why. Back when he was in Vixx, there were very few male fans that came to the smaller fansigns. He was the only male in the room besides the Vixx members and their managers.

 

His hands were shaking as he approached the table and got closer to his family. Before the fansign, he wrote messages of encouragement on a post-it note, hoping that the members would appreciate it. Taekwoon knew that whenever Starlights cheered him on like this, he felt stronger.

 

“Hi,” he said as he approached Wonshik. Wonshik stared up at him and smiled. Taekwoon placed his photobook down with the post-it note and gave a small smile back.

 

“Keep up the good work, Wonshik-ah. I’m rooting for you,” Taekwoon said softly. Ravi gave him a big smile.

 

“Thank you,” he glanced down at the note before looking up again, “Taekwoon-ssi.”

 

Jaehwan was next, and he threw a huge smile up towards Taekwoon. “Hello,” he said to him. Taekwoon found himself smiling in return.

 

As Jaehwan scribbled his signature, Taekwoon watched his face, his tongue poking out of his mouth and he wrote. “Please take care of your voice and stay healthy,” he told Jaehwan. It was his greatest worry. Jaehwan was working hard as the only main vocal and needed to protect himself. Now that Taekwoon was closer, he could see the bags and pale sheen to his skin, even under the makeup.

 

“Thank you,” Jaehwan said as he passed the photobook onto Hakyeon. Taekwoon nodded and moved on until he was standing in front of his best friend.

 

Hakyeon looked up at him with a large smile. “You’re so tall!” he told Taekwoon with a laugh. Taekwoon gave a tentative smile back, feeling a lump build in his throat. Hakyeon looked back at the page he was signing and Taekwoon just stood still, unable to speak.

 

When Hakyeon was done and he passed the book onto Hongbin, Taekwoon finally spoke.

 

“You are an amazing leader. I will always support you. Please take care of yourself.”

 

Hakyeon nodded. “Of course. Thank you Taekwoon-ssi.”

 

Hongbin was next and he gave Taekwoon a rather bland smile. Hongbin was never good at interacting with male fans, and Taekwoon wished that he wasn’t uncomfortable in front of him. It felt wrong.

 

“You have a wonderful voice,” Taekwoon said, “I wish that you could showcase it more.”

 

That did nothing to get rid of Hongbin’s strange smile, but he nodded at Taekwoon and flashed him a dimple before passing on the booklet. The interaction felt incomplete, but there was nothing he could do now.

 

Hyuk was last, and Taekwoon had no idea what to say to him. Hyuk never needed any of them, and could survive well on his own. Taekwoon couldn’t scold him or sound too familiar, so he stayed silent until Hyuk was handing him back his album photobook.

 

“Hyuk-ah, you did well on this album.”

 

And that was it. Hyuk gave a small thank you and a smile, and Taekwoon went back to his seat. For the remainder of the fansign, he was in a daze. He remembered taking a few pictures, or a video, but didn’t quite come out of the state until he got home. His mom welcomed him at the door.

 

“Have you eaten?” she asked. Taekwoon shook his head. She motioned him to follow her into the kitchen.

 

They ate in silence for a few minutes until she cleared her throat. Taekwoon looked up at her.

 

“Taekwoon,” she started, glancing at the table before she looked up at him again. “Are you…happy?”

 

He stared at her blankly, unsure how to answer.

 

“You’ve been quiet for a while, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you smile.” She paused. “I love you and just want to make sure you are okay. You just… haven’t been alright for years.”

 

Taekwoon nodded slightly and played with his hands, not sure how to approach this topic. He didn’t want to upset his mom.

 

“Mom,” he finally started. She stared at him with wet eyes. “I don’t think I’m okay now, but I think I’m getting there. Things have been… rough. But I’m trying, and I’m working through my problems. Hopefully soon. Soon I’ll be okay.” His voice cracked during his speech, but he ignored it. His mom ignored it too, but he could see the tears in her eyes as she looked at him.

 

“You know, if you need help, if you need someone to talk to, just let me know. Okay, Taekwoon?”

 

He nodded and got up from the table, walking around until he was standing next to his mother. He leaned down and grabbed her in a hug. Her arms came around his back as she gripped his sweater.

 

Later, Taekwoon found himself staring at his face in the mirror as he thought about what his mom said.

 

“I’m not really happy, am I?” he asked himself. His face looked healthier than it did when he first woke up in this body. His stomach was flatter, his hair longer, but he still didn’t feel like himself.

 

“I can do this,” he said to himself as he rubbed his eyes with his palms.

 

He started to develop a routine while he still wasn’t in school. He worked out 4 times a week, saw his nephew as often as his sister allowed, and composed with any free time he had. He sang in the bar occasionally, and even asked his mother to teach him how to cook. Properly this time. And he did become happier. There was still a piece missing from his heart, but keeping busy helped, and he started to feel lighter, like a burden had been lifted.

 

The night before his first day of grad school, Taekwoon cooked himself a proper lunch and packed it away. The now familiar motions soothed his nerves and helped calm down his brain just enough to get some sleep.

 

When he arrived at school and sat down in one of the desks in the lecture hall of his first class, he felt settled and ready for this next adventure. It was almost time for class to start when Taekwoon heard someone’s shoes squeak on the floor as they rushed through the door. He turned around slightly and saw Jaehwan unshouldering his bag as he found a seat in one of the middle rows.

 

That final piece clicked in place and Taekwoon smiled as he turned around, away from where Jaehwan was taking out a notebook and several pens from his backpack. And for the first time since he arrive in this world, he felt truly content.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This story will be continued eventually with a Keo friendship sequel. I hope you enjoyed the story! Feedback is always welcome. Thank you!
> 
> My writing tumblr: tuberc-leo-fics  
> My kpop tumblr: leothevixxn


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